WILD CHILD • Emmett Cullen

Thanksgiving Blues

"So what are doing for thanksgiving?" Ray asks interrupting me sketching for my flash sheet. No Vega or Lani so I'm front of the house.

"Big bonfire at the Rez." I tell him sliding over the paper to show him. "Why what's up?"

"Wife wants you guys to come just for like an hour and stuff. Meet you for the first time and all that jazz." He tells me looking embarrassed. "She's all sentimental and stuff."

"I'll be there." I tell him smiling. "Need me to bring anything?"

"No no we've got that covered. Shadings off here. Fix it." He says sliding the paper back. "Now."

"Grumpy old man." I mutter looking down at the drawing.

"Package for you. And lunch for all of us." Kit says walking into the shop and handing me a small box. "So what'd you order?" He asks pulling the food out of the bag.

"Nothing. No idea what this is." I tell him, I shake the box and it rattles. It was probably Viv and her shopping addiction. "I'll deal with it later."

"So Ray invited you to thanksgiving huh." He says after he's done giving Ray his food.

"Yea. Seems nice of his wife." I say looking down at my sushi. "What's she like."

"Well from what you've talked about she's like Emily." Kit says after a while. "They uh took me in when I was like 16."

"Right." I say remembering how he mentioned it a while back. "Well seems like it'll be nice."

"It is."

-

"How was work?" Dad asks as to the three of us sit in the diner.

"It was cool. Got invited to something at Ray's house." I tell him before taking a bit out of my burger. "For thanksgiving."

"Thought we were doing the thing at the Rez?" Bella asks.

"It's earlier than that so it should be fine." I tell her. "Ray says his wife insists."

"Poor women to have to deal with you." Bella says smirking.

"I'll sell you to a whore house." I says bumping shoulders with her. "50 cents a pop. Or a blow."

"One dinner please." Dad says shaking his head. "Just one."

"Sorry." We mumble and continue eating in silence.

"So." I say after we're done. "How's Billy?" I got a napkin thrown at me.

-

"What's in the box?" Bella asks while we sit on the couch watching Grease. "Order more painting stuff?"

"No, I actually don't know what it is." I tell her, not taking my eyes off the screen. "Showed up at the shop."

"I'm opening it." She says leaning forward and grabbing the box.

"You know this is where Addison's love for cars started." I tell Bella as Greased Lighting comes on. "We were gonna do Sandy and Danny for Halloween before she you know."

"Does it ever get easier?" She asks after a minute. "Missing her. I mean I know it's not the same but sometimes it feels like this."

"Hole." I say smiling at her. "It feels like a giant gaping hole and like you have to physically hold yourself together or else you'll fall apart."

"Yea. Does it ever go away?"

"I don't know." I tell her honestly. "Sometimes I think it does, and then suddenly there it is again. Huge and gaping. And it physically hurts so much I can't breathe. But it does happen less."